valence electrons

Cultural  

1. In chemistry, those electrons found in orbits farthest from the nucleus of the atom. These electrons determine the way in which the atom will combine with other atoms, and thus determine its chemical properties.

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Example Sentences

Each combination yielded a different concentration of valence electrons within the material.

From Science Daily • Oct. 19, 2023

The additional valence electrons around the metal atoms then reorganized to bridge these openings, forming new bonds between neighboring metal atoms.

From Science Daily • Oct. 19, 2023

The researchers found that the key to enhancing ceramic toughness lay in the use of metals from the fifth and sixth columns of the periodic table, due to their higher number of valence electrons.

From Science Daily • Oct. 19, 2023

Each Cl atom interacts with eight valence electrons: the six in the lone pairs and the two in the single bond.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Thus, as we would expect, the outermost or valence electrons are easiest to remove because they have the highest energies, are shielded more, and are farthest from the nucleus.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019